Cervical cancer occurs in the lining of the cervix, or the lower part of the uterus. The cervix con- nects the uterus, where a fetus grows, to the vagina, the birth canal. The cervix is comprised of three regions, the endocervix, transformation zone, and the ectocervix. The endocervix is the canal from the uterus to the transformation zone that is primarily glandular cells. The ectocervix is the portion of the cervical canal that connect the transformation zone to the vagina that contain squa- mous cells. The transformation zone is the canal that is between the endocervix and the ectocervix where the cells change from glandular cells to squamous cells. The transformation zone is the most frequent location cell abnormalities and precancerous cells are to develop. Screenings for the precancerous changes in the transformation zone assess the degree of abnormalities in the cervical tissue. The cervical screenings are used to monitor any abnormalities in the cervical tissue in the transformation zone. The precancerous cells, on average, do not need any treatment and will go away. In some cases, the precancers turn into cancer cells on the cervix.
The American Cancer Society, also referred to as the ACS, identifies the three common cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and adenosqaumous carcinomas [2]. Squamous cell carcinomas is the most common of cervical cancer, as it develops in the ec- tocervix with proliferation of cancer from the squamous cells in the transformation zone. The second common cervical cancer, adenocarcinomas, develops in the endocervix proliferating from the glandular cells. The least common of the cervical cancers has proliferation of cancer from the squamous cells of the ectocervix and the glandular cells of the endocervix. Women between the ages of thirty five and forty four are most frequently diagnosed with cervical cancer, and has been the most common cause of cancer deaths for American women. The development of the Papani- colaou Test, commonly referred to as The Pap Test, is a procedure that monitors the cells from the cervical canal to monitor for abnormal and precancerous cell growth. The development of the Pap Test has provided an accurate detection of cervical cancer and has helped the decline of cervical cancer cases, it still remains the second most prominent type of cancer for women globally.